Lore:Akaviri Potentate

The Akaviri Potentate is the name given to the period of the Second Empire after the assassination of Reman III and the end of the Reman Dynasty. Additionally, it is the title given to the rulers of Tamriel both during this period and during the earlier years of the empire.[1]

Under the Remans, the emperor's chief advisor was called the Potentate.[1] In the battle of Pale Pass, Reman I decisively defeated an Akaviri invasion but other events forced him to offer the defeated army amnesty in return for their service in his own army. This led to Akaviri influence in other spheres of life, and over time the position of Potentate was usually filled by one of the snake people.[1] In the year 1E 2920, the Potentate Versidue-Shaie plotted to overthrow the empire. He contrived the assassination first of Crown Prince Juilek[2] and then the emperor himself.[3] On 22 Evening Star 2920, Versidue-Shaie declared that he was taking over the leadership of the empire but retaining his title of Potentate. In the same speech, he declared the end of the First Era and the start of the Second.[3]

In order to suppress armies remaining loyal to the Remans, as well as the armies belonging to individual kingdoms seeking greater autonomy, Versidue-Shaie was forced to engage in a relentless series of campaigns that, by the year 2E 283, finally resulted in victory for his forces.[4] The cost of the campaigns was immense, resulting in the impoverishment of both the empire and its constituent kingdoms and in an effort to maintain order without the expense of a standing army, in 2E 321 Versidue-Shaie agreed to a proposal from his kinsman Dinieras-Ves that established what was to become known as the Fighters Guild.[5]

In 2E 324, Versidue-Shaie was assassinated by the nascent Morag Tong[6][7] and succeeded by his son, Savirien-Chorak. In turn, he was assassinated along with all his heirs on one night in Sun's Dawn 2E 430, bringing a final end to the Second Empire and signaling the start of the Interregnum.[6]

Sidri-Ashak was an obscure and lesser known potentate. He is perhaps best known for five runestones dotted across the Imperial province that bear his name. He advised Emperor Brazollus Dor, who ruled between the reigns of Reman II and Reman III. Neither interested nor skilled in matters of state, Emperor Dor left most of the governing to him, and he proved to be a capable statesman.[8]